Azure vs T Cloud
Both are bring your own account providers on Elestio, and both get the exact same management layer. The difference is jurisdiction, stack and reach. T Cloud is Deutsche Telekom infrastructure in Germany, built on OpenStack. Azure is Microsoft, global and proprietary.
The real differences
What actually differs between Azure and T Cloud
Elestio deploys and manages the same 400+ open-source services on both. Backups, SSL, updates, monitoring and security hardening are identical. So the decision comes down to who operates the infrastructure, under which jurisdiction, and on which stack.
Jurisdiction is the real choice
T Cloud is operated by Deutsche Telekom and T-Systems under German and EU law. Azure is operated by Microsoft, a US company. If data residency, GDPR scope or digital sovereignty are on your requirements list, that single line decides more than any benchmark.
OpenStack vs proprietary
T Cloud runs on OpenStack, an open standard with multiple implementations. Azure runs on a proprietary platform with its own identity model. Portability is not a marketing word here, it is whether your infrastructure definitions mean anything outside one vendor.
Azure wins on reach and enterprise integration
Azure has a global region footprint and deep integration with Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft 365 and existing enterprise agreements. If your organization already runs on that stack, or needs presence far outside Europe, Azure is the pragmatic answer.
Encryption with a key you already own
On T Cloud, Elestio provisions encrypted EVS volumes using the evs/default key that already exists in your account. Elestio never creates encryption keys. The key stays under your control, in your jurisdiction.
Identical management layer
Same 400+ open-source catalog. Same automated backups, SSL certificates, OS and software updates, 24/7 monitoring, firewall rules and security hardening. Same Elestio dashboard. You are not trading away operations to gain sovereignty.
You are not locked into the choice
Elestio supports 9 cloud providers. You can clone or migrate a service from Azure to T Cloud, or the other way, to any supported provider and region, at any time. Start where you are and move when the requirement changes.
Side by side
How they compare
Pricing
The Elestio fee is the same on both
Both are bring your own account providers. You pay the cloud provider directly for infrastructure, and Elestio charges the same management fee either way: $5 per vCPU, plus $2.50 per GB RAM, plus $0.025 per GB disk. A 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB instance costs $22 per month in Elestio management fees on Azure and $22 per month on T Cloud. Any credit, committed spend or negotiated discount you already hold with either provider still applies, because their invoice never passes through Elestio.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is T Cloud the same as Open Telekom Cloud?
Yes. T Cloud Public is the current name of the service previously known as Open Telekom Cloud, operated by Deutsche Telekom and T-Systems. The console is still hosted at console.otc.t-systems.com and account domain names still start with OTC00, which is why both names still appear in documentation.
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Should I choose Azure or T Cloud?
Choose T Cloud when data residency, GDPR scope or digital sovereignty drive the decision, and your users are in Europe. Choose Azure when you are already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, hold an enterprise agreement you want to draw down, or need regions far outside Europe. Elestio manages both identically, so this is a business and compliance decision rather than an operational one.
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Does Elestio manage both providers the same way?
Yes. The same 400+ open-source catalog, automated deployment, daily backups, OS and software updates, SSL certificate management, 24/7 monitoring, firewall configuration and security hardening apply on both. The provider changes where the virtual machine lives, not what Elestio does with it.
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Is the Elestio management fee different between the two?
No. Both are bring your own account providers and use the same formula: $5 per vCPU, plus $2.50 per GB RAM, plus $0.025 per GB disk. Infrastructure is billed separately and directly by Microsoft or by Deutsche Telekom on your own account.
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How does connecting each account differ?
On Azure, Elestio uses an application registered in your Azure AD tenant and a selected subscription. On T Cloud, Elestio uses an IAM user with six policies scoped to all resources, and you provide an Access Key, a Secret Key and your account Domain Name. Both flows are documented step by step in the Elestio documentation.
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Can I move my services from Azure to T Cloud later?
Yes. Elestio supports 9 cloud providers and lets you clone or migrate a managed service to another provider and region at any time. Because T Cloud runs on OpenStack rather than a proprietary stack, moving away from it later is equally unconstrained.
Deploy on Azure or T Cloud, managed the same way
400+ open-source tools, fully managed on your own cloud account. You keep the infrastructure, Elestio runs the operations.
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